Panamera gets mad

Turbo S could be world’s fastest sedan

A SUPERCAR-SLAYING 441kW Turbo S could be the fastest petrolpowered four-door sedan in the world when Porsche unleashes its new Panamera in October.

The 4.0-litre V8-powered all-paw Turbo S will headline Porsche’s brand new four-door and knock off the 100km/h sprint in a blistering 3.5sec.

Set to debut at the Paris Motor Show in October, the new Panamera will debut new engines and promises a massive lift in handling ability and technology.

Of most interest to MOTORfolk will be the Turbo and 4S performance models, in both petrol and diesel form. Not traditionally a performance choice, the new diesel Panamera mounts a strong case thanks to a 310kW/850Nm 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8.

Its 4S petrol sibling utilises a 327kW/570Nm 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 adopted from Audi, while the big daddy Turbo debuts Porsche’s new 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8 that thumps out 405kW/769Nm and allows this near-two-tonne behemoth to hit 100km/h in just 3.7sec. Too slow?

There’s the S beyond that.

All models use a newlydeveloped eight-speed version of Porsche’s dual-clutch PDK gearbox, future-proofed to handle 1000Nm, while the new boosted V8 uses up to 20 per cent less fuel than the current 4.8-litre twin-turbo V8.

Thanks to the brand new MSB platform, Porsche is also promising a level of dynamic ability that will take the Panamera far beyond its Mercedes-AMG S63 and Audi S8 Plus opposition into the realm of Ferrari’s GTC4Lusso.

Air suspension is standard on the Turbo (steel springs for lesser models), as are active dampers, and suspension trickery first seen on 911 including rear-wheel steering and electronicallycontrolled anti-roll bars. Engine, gearbox and chassis settings can all be controlled via the steeringwheel mounted drive mode selector, too.

All the usual gizmos will be present: lane assist, blind-spot monitoring, active cruise control, and emergency braking. But Panamera G2 also introduces Porsche’s InnoDrive system, which can monitor traffic in every direction, recognise pedestrians and drive semi-autonomously.

The current Panamera’s aircraftstyle button-fest centre console is replaced by a 12-inch infotainment touchscreen, with frequently-used secondary controls accessed via another touchscreen surrounding the gear selector. Two more digital displays are present on either side of the central tachometer, the left displaying all vehiclerelated information and the right dedicated to connectivity.

Heavily influenced by the Panamera Sport Turismo Concept from the 2012 Paris Motor Show, the G2 Panamera is more sleek coupe/sedan and less humpback whale-on-wheels. A wagon variant, slated for 2019, may look even better.

Prices will be released closer to the October reveal but expect over $300,000 for the 4S and running to $400,000 for the Turbo. A late-2017 arrival looks a pretty safe bet.